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“Sora.” Not even the waves around them could silence his name when Riku said it. It was the loudest and brightest word he had ever said or heard. His best friend spun around on the dock out of curiosity. As soon as they made eye contact, Riku threw the star-shaped fruit at the brunet just hard enough so he could catch it. “You wanted one, didn’t you?” Riku pointed to the object in question in Sora’s hands as the latter looked at it strangely.
“A paopu fruit…?” The questionable tone made Riku’s heart twinge out of an emotion he couldn’t place. If it were Kairi who gave it to him, he probably wouldn’t have questioned it one bit. Still, Riku didn’t let his thoughts falter his false confidence.
The silver-haired teen started walking toward the end of the bridge. “If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined.” What if he was reading the legend wrong? Was this sharing it, or did they have to eat it together? Maybe Sora will suggest it.
“They’ll remain a part of each other's lives… No matter what.” Riku briefly remembers the promise he made to the stranger years ago. He’s still convinced it was a dream, however. Either way, even as the memory fades, he knows he will never break that promise if it means he gets to keep those precious blue eyes safe.
Riku was nearing the end of the bridge. “Come on I know you wanna try it,” which were actually Riku’s keywords for Sora, do you want to share a paopu fruit with me?
“What are you talking-”
Riku instantly took that as rejection so he didn’t hesitate to interrupt him with a terribly faked teasing laugh. There was pain behind it, and Riku knew it.
He started running towards the direction Kairi went, and as soon as he did so, he heard a faint splash into the water and the noise of steps from his best friend running behind him.
Riku’s strange 15-year-old way of confession felt harshly rejected at that sound. He kept running, fake smile now downturned, and the sound of his heart cracking.
-
A few days pass, and Riku is found wandering around the play island before stumbling upon Sora’s drawing of him and Kairi that was years old. No Riku in sight. Just the two kids that the whole island teases about ‘one day getting married’ or ‘having beautiful children’ and to Riku, that talk just all sounded gross. They were 14, nowhere near even getting married yet.
Yet. The word tore at the silveret’s heartstrings more than ever because even he started to think those two will actually become something. Something that he and Sora won’t ever be.
Riku frowns in frustration and punches a different rock on the wall without drawings on it. At first, the adrenaline fills him with more anger and more need to unnecessarily hurt innocent rocks, but then the pain in his hand kicks in. Yelling in pain, he clutches his hand and takes a look at it. A few scrapes on his knuckles, definitely sure to turn bruised, but no real damage or blood. Doesn’t excuse the hurt though. Which kind of hurt, Riku wouldn’t be able to say.
Riku walks out from behind the waterfall as the sun looks like it’s about to set beyond the horizon. They were going to leave soon. He promised both of them.
Riku kept wandering and found himself sitting upon the paopu tree. That damned fruit didn’t have all the best memories anymore. Still, Riku was curious about what the yellow star even tasted like.
He reached up and grabbed one and plucked it off from its branch. Sitting back down, he examined the fruit carefully. It’s exterior was smooth, and reminded him of a banana. The fruit had very thin yet hard skin on it like an apple’s.
The teen was hesitant to take a bite, as he still had a sliver of hope for sharing it with one of his best friends.
All that hope was torn to shreds by his own thoughts of Sora and Kairi. It was always Sora and Kairi. Kairi and Sora. The talk of the town. Why wouldn’t they be, what with the way the two smile at each other, constantly joking and laughing, whereas it seems like the only faces Sora makes at Riku are ones of confusion after something Riku had said or frustration from arguments and sparring.
These thoughts started to spiral into thoughts of why. Why her, not me? He thinks. Why is it so different and wrong to feel this way? Why doesn’t he smile at me anymore? Why can’t it be me? Why am I not good enough for him?
Riku wipes the tears he didn’t notice were falling and tries to stifle his hiccup-like sobs that followed.
Too many images of Sora and Kairi, and only them, danced around his brain like a tease gone too far.
It just wasn’t fair. Why didn’t Sora see how he was feeling?
Why did he have to fall in love with the carefree brunet? Was it those big blue ocean eyes? Was it his laugh? His smile? Riku has asked the universe too many times all the same things, and never got a response.
In a way, eating the paopu would be some sort of closure. That’s what Riku has hoped.
Staring at the ocean as the sun hits its final mark on the water, Riku bites off a bottom spike of the star, hoping for some sort of fruitful flavor. Something to bring light back to his heart after it seemed like his only light was being taken away by a certain redhead. (He loves Kairi, damn her, but it was just a lot for him at the moment)
Instead, what the silveret had received was an oh-so-bitter taste, and he had to resist the urge to spit it out. However, Riku had tasted something much worse before, and this little test did nothing to satisfy his emotions. In disgust, he threw the fruit out to the ocean.
Nothing tastes more bitter than heartbreak.